Newsletter No. 71 – May 2011 Price £1.00 (Free to members)

Chairman’s Report In this Issue: Bob Flanagan • Norwood’s A serious problem is looming. On the one hand the Man- Greek Necro- agement Advisory Group and the Scheme of Manage- polis Page 3 ment Committee (SoMC), in conjunction with Council officers, have been husbanding resources from the • Charles Bayer & Council capital grant for several years in order to re- Family Page 4 surface the entrance area and replace the drains that have • Robert F. Fairlie collapsed. On the other, the Council have been under- - Railway standably looking to save money, but have seemingly ‘reassigned’ a substantial part of the accrued monies as Engineer Page 5 well as this year’s grant without consultation. This means • J.A.R. Newlands: that the planned roadway refurbishment cannot go ahead. The Law of In turn the SoMC has taken the decision to close the Octaves Page 7 cemetery to vehicles from 2 June on Health and Safety grounds. Of course this means an end to cremations and • Henry & Minnie burials in existing graves and loss of income therefrom Dale Page 9 (some £300,000 p.a.) until the repairs can be completed. • Let us hope that a way forward can be found without Paul Chappuis: such drastic action being necessary. Light into Dark Conservation News Places Page 11 On other fronts there is good news. Firstly it has been • The Story of Sir agreed that FOWNC and the Council can work together August Manns to raise funds for monument conservation/restoration. Page 12 This has been a long-cherished aim on my part, and I’m • Recent FOWNC hopeful that it ushers in a new era whereby the long-term future of the cemetery will become the predominant Page 13 Events consideration in all dealings related thereto. It has also • Forthcoming been agreed that I will take on the task of the redrafting Events Page 14 the contentious parts of the draft Scheme of Management • in an attempt to steer a way though the complex legal and A Bit of Mystery financial issues that face us. However, I’m confident that Page 16 a sensible approach acceptable to all parties can be found. Be all this as it may, there are still outstanding issues such as the repair to the (Grade 2 listed) Gilbart railings and the demolished monument in front of the Crematorium (see Newsletters passim) that remain to be tackled. And a rehabilitation plan for the Catacombs will need to be in place before the planning permission for the temporary protective roof expires. Catacomb Tours/Scrub Clearance Our members-only catacomb tours have proved very popular. If you would like to book a place for the 10:30 tour on the 18 June please contact Jill Dudman (details p. 16). If there is still further demand, further tours will be scheduled. Ellen Barbet ([email protected], 020 8650 0766 or mobile 07729 166 080) has taken over the organization of our scrub clearance efforts and she and her team have been making inroads in the scrub alongside Ship Path. Many thanks indeed to Ellen and her helpers for undertaking this vital work. I’m sure new discoveries (notables as well as monuments) will ensue in time. On other fronts, the known colonies of Japanese Knotweed are being tackled by contra- ctors City Suburban. In addition, the offenders’ group has done excellent work on the undergrowth near the Greek necropolis, and hopefully can soon begin to focus on other areas such as Ship Path. London’s Cemeteries: Fit for the 21st Century? A one-day seminar held under the auspices of English Heritage (EH) took place on 17 March at the Cemetery. The event was chaired by Roger Bowdler (EH), and introduced by Philip Everett, Director of Environmental Services, City of London. Speakers included: Dr Julie Rugg (University of York Cemetery Research Group), and Julie Dunk (Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management, and of Lambeth!): it was good to see the ‘two Julies’ back in harness! The sensitive issue of re-use of burial grounds was discussed by Gary Burks, City of London Cemetery, who also led a tour to see ‘re-use in action’. The Role of EH in cemetery protection was addressed by Jenifer White, Senior Landscape Adviser, and Dr Jane Sidell, Inspector of Ancient Monuments, and finally Drew Bennellick, Head of Landscape, Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), discussed current HLF funding initiatives. Essentially there has been a change of heart all round, and historic cemeteries are now the subject of concern and veneration, rather than an embarrassment to their owners! The seminar struck a sensible balance between conservation and sustainability, and explored the topics of grave and monument re-use, cemetery funding, monument and infrastructure repairs, and cemetery conservation management plans in a positive way. Gone are the days when cemetery managers thought they could simply do as they liked! Indeed, it was very clear that simply looking at burial/cremation income alone was outdated, and I found it supremely ironic that the presence of historic monuments in a historic landscape was now looked upon as an asset as regards the possibility of HLF and other funding, rather than a hindrance to cemetery operations as has been the traditional attitude ‘on the ground’. Be this as it may, I was not so keen to see re-used headstones ‘back-to-front’ with the original inscription uncared for. I’m sure we could try to commemorate the old as well as the new at Norwood given the chance.

- 2 -

West Norwood Cemetery’s Greek Necropolis by Colin R Fenn and James Slattery-Kavanagh (FOWNC, 2011. £2.50) Review – Bob Flanagan

The Greek Necropolis has always presented a problem for those of us not blessed with a classical education since the monumental inscriptions are often written in Greek. Even English Heritage were confused as to the identity of one listed tomb with the result that we have gained an extra listed monument by default as it were (there are now 19 that are listed Grade II or II*)! Congratulations to Colin and James then for not only producing this clear and concise guide to many, but by no means all, of the notable monuments in the Greek section, but also in giving much background information as to the history of the necropolis itself and of the Greek comm- unity that created it. The guide takes the form of a folded A2 sheet. On one side there is a perspective plan of the enclosure on which the locations of the monu- ments featured are marked clearly. Brief des- criptions of the monuments surround the plan. This is especially valuable as monument ident- ification is much simplified. The histories of the Greek community in London that created the necropolis and of the necropolis itself are detailed on the obverse together with a brief history of ‘Zeus’, Pantia Stephen Ralli (1793– 1865) and other members of the Ralli family. I am sure that the availability of this guide will serve to further inspire members of the Greek community in London and others who come to gaze at this outstanding collection of funerary monuments to help care for this ‘Jewel in the Norwood Crown’. Although some scrub has been cleared from the boundaries of the enclosure, much remains to be done. The boundary railings are in serious need of repair, St Stephen’s Chapel (the Ralli Chapel) has a badly leaking roof, and the damage caused to some 20 monuments by van- dals 12 years or so ago remains unaddressed. Now that Colin and James have this guide under their belts, they are working on a sister publication that concentrates on the listed memorials outwith the Greek section.

- 3 -

Charles Bayer (c.1846–1930) and Family Bob Flanagan

Conservationist Ron Knee has provided information on the mausoleum featured in A Bit of Mystery in January 2010. It was built by Charles Bayer in 1909. Norah and Otter Bayer were removed from a public vault and interred there later that year. Other interments were Charles’ wife Fanny Friend Bayer (1910), Charles Bayer (1930), and Herbert Bayer (1948). The final interment was of Sir Horace Malcolm Bayer, Knight Sheriff of London- derry 1915-24, who died at Southwood, 54 Silverdale, Sydenham on 11 March 1965. In an adjacent grave lie Beryl Adair Bayer (1911/2–1936), who died in a car accident near St. Nicholas at Wade, Kent, and Lady Rebecca Florence (Dollie) Bayer née Adair (1877/8–1966), daughter and wife, respectively, of Sir Horace. In 1970 all the coffins from the mausoleum were moved to Catacomb 20 beneath the site of the Episcopal Chapel1 and Bayer Mausoleum (grave 32,171, square 80) and family grave the mausoleum was

(grave 38,733, square 80) sold on the 1 April 1970 to Mrs. Dagmar Linderholm, who is now interred within. The current owner is her granddaughter, Vlasta, who lives in Italy and visits once a year in September. Over the last few years various capital works have taken place: in 2010 all the marble joints of the roof were repointed. Charles Bayer himself was a corset manufacturer. It was claimed that ‘CB’ corsets were ‘as easy fitting as a perfectly cut kid glove, with a complete absence of pressure upon the respiratory organs’. Prices ranged from 10/6 to three guineas and he claimed to use ‘the daintiest French fabrics, both plain and fancy’. One advertisement mentions ‘coutille,

1 Propped up on one of the coffins is a memorial plaque to Edmund Hugh Craft Theobald, Pilot Officer (Pilot) Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No: 67716, 30 Sqdn. Age: 26. Date of Death: 28/12/1941. ‘Son of Hugh Whittard Theobald and Edith Maud Theobald [née Bayer] of Hadlow Down, Sussex’. Memorial Reference: 19. B. 10. at Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery, Egypt. Shot down flying Hurricane Mk.I serial Z4709, missing from patrol near Halfaya. - 4 - batist, and broche’, all said to be ‘superfine’. There were several Bayer factories, including Bath, Bristol, Portsmouth, Gloucester and London. In 1898 a steam engine was purchased for the Bath factory. As so many CB corsets were produced, most museum collections have at least one. There are several advertisements for the company in magazines dated 1915 for ‘British Corsets for British wearers’, so we know that the company was still going strong up until the first World War. The corsets had fanciful names, for example The Imperial Cygnia! CB corsets were manufactured in Britain, stitched by machine, utilising the most modern technologies, and were obviously profitable – Charles left over £59,000 when he died.

Robert F. Fairlie (1830/1-1885) - Railway Engineer Bob Flanagan

Robert Francis Fairlie was born in Glasgow either on 5 April 1830 or in March 1831, the son of T. Archibald Fairlie (an engineer) and his wife Margaret. He trained at Crewe and Swindon, then joined first the Londonderry and Coleraine Railway as Locomotive Superintendent in 1852, and four years later the Bombay, Baroda & Central India Railway, before returning to London in 1859. In 1864 he patented a double boiler, double bogie locomotive - boiler at each end, cab in middle, swivelling bogie carrying driving wheels under each boiler - designed for narrow gauge lines with sharp curves and steep gradients, and which enabled heavier loads to be pulled. The first such locomotive, the Pioneer, was built in 1865 for the Neath and Brecon Railway, but it was the Little Wonder built in 1869 at the works of George England & Co, the Hatcham Ironworks, Pomeroy Street, New Cross, for the Ffestiniog Railway that made Fairlie’s name. On the Ffestiniog the new engine was tested against not one, but six engines designed by George England himself, the first ever successful narrow gauge steam locomotive design. The tests, for which detai- led performance records survive, were held between 18 September 1869 and 8 July 1870 Robert Francis Fairlie c. 1870 and showed the superiority of Fairlie’s design. Fairlie was richly rewarded with orders and commissions from overseas including one involving work in Venezuela in 1873/4, which resulted in him contracting a serious illness. By 1876, 43 railways operated Fairlie’s patent locomotives, not always success- fully. However, Robert Fairlie’s career and social standing had been seriously threatened

- 5 - eight years earlier by a remarkable case (reported in the Times of 8 April 1862) brought against him in the Central Criminal Court by his long time business associate, George England. The latter alleged perjury on the part of Fairlie, who had eloped with England’s daughter Eliza Anne England and, in order to procure a marriage licence, had sworn a false affidavit that her father had consented to the union. After this marriage they had run away to Spain. This accusation would, if proved, have resulted in a prison sentence. Under cross-examination, however, England was forced to admit that he had run away with his present wife, who was the mother of Eliza Anne, and that he had a wife living at that time. He had lived with this lady for several years, but could not marry until his wife died. At that time, a child born out of wedlock was considered nobody’s child. In law she was thus nothing to do with George England and could marry whomsoever she pleased. There was thus no case to answer and therefore a verdict of not guilty was returned. But none of this stopped George England building Robert Fairlie’s remarkable double-engine for the Ffestiniog Railway seven years later. Little Wonder was delivered in the summer of 1869 and George England retired. In September 1869 Robert Fairlie joined with George England’s son and his son-in-law John Simpson Fraser to take over the Hatcham Works and to form the Fairlie Engine & Steam Carriage Co. However, George England jnr soon died and locomotive production ceased at the end of 1870. However, the Fairlie Engine & Rolling Stock Co. continued as an office for design and for the licencing of Fairlie locomotive manufacture. By 1881, George England (1811− 1878) too was dead and Robert Fair- lie and his wife Eliza (Lily) were Fairlie family tombstone at Norwood (grave living at 13 Church Buildings, 20,788, square 22) Clapham with their four children, Robert, John, Lily, and Jessie, his mother-in-law Sarah England, Frances Knight (cook) from Norfolk, four domestic servants, and finally Emma Bermoker (possibly an au pair or governess) from Vevey in Switzerland. Robert Fairlie died at Woodlands, Clapham Common, on 31 July 1885 and was buried at Norwood on 6 August. He left £9,985 in his will. Others buried in the grave are his wife Lily, who died 15 April 1907, aged 63, her brother-in-law John Simpson Fraser, who died 18 July 1891, aged 69, and her sister Mary, who died 11 May 1906, aged 84.

- 6 -

J.A.R. Newlands (1837–1898): The Law of Octaves Bob Flanagan

John Alexander Reina Newlands was the first to identify a pattern (‘periodicity’) in the chemical properties of the elements. His Law of Octaves was ridiculed by many of his contemporaries and the establishment-dominated Chemical Society did not accept his work for publication after he read a paper before them, stating later that ‘they had made it a rule not to publish papers of a purely theoretical nature, since it was likely to lead to correspondence of a controversial character’! Fortunately, however, a series of articles by Newlands were published from 1864 in Chemical News, an independent journal produced by the chemist Sir William Crookes (1832–1919, discoverer of thallium and later a noted spiritualist), five years before the Russian chemist Dimitri Mendeleev (1834–1907) announced the discovery of what we now call the Periodic Table. Newlands was born on 26 November 1837 at 19 West Square, Southwark2, the son of a Presbyterian minister, William Newlands, and his Italian wife née Reina. He studied for a year (1856) at the Royal College of Chemistry under Hoffman and then became assistant to Professor Way, chemist to the Royal Agricultural Society. In 1860 he served as a volunteer with Giuseppe Garibaldi in his campaign to unify Italy. On returning to London in 1864, he set up in practice as an analytical chemist, and from 1868–1886 was chief chemist in James Duncan’s sugar refinery at the Victoria Docks. There his research centered on improvements in the refining of sugar, notably the ‘alum process’. From 1886 he again set up as an analyst with his brother Benjamin A.R. Newlands. Like many of his contemporaries, Newlands John A.R. Newlands (1837-1898) first used the terms ‘equivalent weight’ and ‘atomic weight’ without any distinction, and in his first paper in 1864 he used the values accepted by his predecessors. Continuing the work of Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner (1780–1849) with triads, he published his Law of Octaves (1865), which states that ‘any given element will exhibit analogous behaviour to the eighth element following it in the table’.

2 The house still exists complete with a Blue Plaque placed there by the Royal Society of Chemistry in 1998, the centenary of Newlands’ death - 7 - Newlands’ arrangement showed all the known elements arranged in seven groups which he likened to the octaves of music – as the existence of the noble gases was as yet unsuspected, he repeated the last element at the beginning of the next sequence. The elements were ordered by atomic weights that were known at the time, and Newlands gave them a number, the first use of atomic numbers. The imperfections in the table he drew up in 1864 he attributed to the existence of yet unknown elements - he predicted the existence of germanium, for example. In Newlands’ table periods and groups are shown going down and across the table, respectively – the opposite from the modern periodic table. It was not until the following century, with Lewis’ valence bond theory (1916) and Langmuir’s

octet theory of chemical bonding (1919) Newlands family grave (grave 17,440, that the importance of the periodicity of square 109) eight was accepted. Newlands died as a result of a bout of influenza on 29 Sacred to the Memory of July 1898 and was buried in the family plot at Mary Sarah Norwood. He left a widow, a daughter, and a son, Mr Wife of W.P.R. Newlands. The latter studied chemistry at the Rev. W. Newlands Royal College of Science and took over the family firm Died 16 May 1880 Aged 79 at his father’s death. Also Belatedly the Royal Society awarded Newlands the Peter J. R. Newlands Davy Medal in 1887, some five years after they had 3RD son of above awarded this same medal to Mendeleev and to Lothar Died 9 March 1879 Aged ?? Meyer (1830-1895) for their work on the Periodic Also Table. In death, Newlands lies in remarkable company, John A. R. Newlands for nearby are the graves of Robert Mallett FRS (1810– F.I.C. F.C.S. 1881), inventor of the term ‘seismology’, Gideon 2ND son of above Mantell FRS (1790–1852), discoverer of Iguanadon, Died 29 July 1898 Aged 61 Sir Henry Bessemer FRS (1813–1898), of Process Also fame, and William Thomas Brande FRS (1788–1866), Jane Newlands colleague of Michael Faraday. The fact that Newlands Wife of the Above lies at Norwood had been lost for at least a generation Died November 1926 and was only rediscovered by the long-term efforts of a Also relative from Australia, Kay Radford. This only goes to William A. R. Newlands add weight to our argument that no more gravestones Inscription on the Newlands should be removed from our historic cemetery. family grave

- 8 -

Henry and Minnie Dale – A Mystery Solved Valerie Given

I was both surprised and delighted when I saw A Bit of Mystery in the January 2011 Newsletter. The beautiful headstone and loving inscription commemorate my maternal great-grandmother Amelia McKeown Dale. Although I knew she was buried at Norwood, it came as complete surprise to find that she had such an elegant memorial. Minnie, as she was called, married Henry Frederick Dale by Licence (she was a minor) on 23 October 1872 at St Peter’s, Pimlico. Henry Frederick, an arch- itect and surveyor, was born in Louth, Lincoln- shire, in 1849. His father John Dale, a builder, had moved to London in the 1850s with his family. For a short time in the 1860s Henry attended King’s College School, then in the Strand, but now at Wim- bledon Common. He and his father, who is buried in Dale family monument (grave 31,615, square 128) Brompton Cemetery, were listed in a Trade Directory at 1 New Inn, Strand in 1868 and Henry is recorded in 1908 with offices at 16 Great Marlborough Street, W1. He was a member of the Quantity Surveyors’ Association. Minnie was the daughter of Richard and Mary Ann Curling, and was born in 1855 at 29 Grosvenor Street West, Pimlico. She had a sister Margaret, and one brother who died young. Mary Ann was Richard’s second wife. Richard was a Dyer and Lace Cleaner, the son of Lydia Amelia Curling of Woodstock Street, Mayfair, who was Lace Cleaner in Ordinary to Queen Victoria. Lydia is mentioned briefly in Kay Staniland’s In Royal Fashion (Museum of London, 1997), which describes the clothes of Princess Charlotte of Wales and Queen Victoria. Minnie’s father died in 1866 and the two girls lived with their mother, also a Lace Cleaner, at Elizabeth Street, Westminster, and then Caroline Street, until they both married. Minnie and Henry Frederick set up home at Romany Villas, Gipsy Road and later at Stonyholme, Auckland Hill, both in Norwood. They had eight children, three boys and five girls. Early in my family history researches I was fortunate to have some conversations with a cousin of my mother’s, also a granddaughter of Minnie. She - 9 - described the family as very Victorian and physically attractive. There was the added bonus that she was able to tell me more of one of Minnie’s sons, my grandfather Harry. Sadly his marriage to my grandmother failed when he returned from serving in the Royal Engineers in World War I. As a result of these talks I learned that at least two of Minnie’s other children went to Australia. One, Duke Dale, enlisted in the 19th Battalion, Aust- ralian Imperial Forces, during the Great War. I was also told that one daughter had the misfortune to have a leg amputated. Because of this, she lost her fiancée, who then married another lady and went to live in South Africa. However, perhaps having a guilty conscience, the ex-beau used to go to his Club and write regular letters to his lost Dale love. Another daughter, Elfrida Muriel Dale suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. She became a Nursery Governess in Gibraltar, but with the onset of the disease had to return home, and was later admitted to the British Home & Hospital for Incurables (now The British Home), Crown Lane, Streatham, where she lived for the rest of her life. I remember visiting her with my mother, and in particular the tea provided for us. Muriel was a devout Anglo-Catholic, which I hope sustained her during her later life. She died in 1959, and according to the Home’s records, was buried with her mother in the family grave at Norwood. Duke Dale c. 1914 Minnie Dale herself died aged 50 in 1906 of pneumonia contracted during another illness. The tender inscription on her Memorial shows that she was much loved by her family. Much to his children’s dismay, Henry married Edith Sarah Cocks in 1908. She was a younger woman who’d been courting one of Henry’s sons, but the engagement had been called off. In the 1911 Census they are shown still living at Auckland Hill with three of Henry’s daughters, including Muriel. Henry died at Worthing in 1925, but I don’t know where he was buried. Aunt Edie, as she was called, died in 1942, also in Worthing. As far as I know, she and Henry Frederick had no offspring. The FOWNC Newsletters contain many biographies of eminent people. Minnie and Henry Frederick Dale were an ordinary couple who raised their children in

- 10 - late Victorian Norwood, and had their fair share of disappointment and success. I would like to thank Bob Flanagan for this opportunity to relate some of the stories of this family who lost their mother, but created an elegant memorial to her with an eloquent inscription, which, by a miracle, has survived to the 21st century and hopefully will survive for many years to come.

Paul Chappuis (1816-1887): Light into Dark Places Bob Flanagan

An invitation to talk to Subterranea Britannica last year prompted a search for ‘Underground Norwood’. Obvious thoughts were under- ground railway pioneers Charles Pearson (1793–1862; grave 5,534, square 52) and James Henry Greathead (1844−1896; grave 27,103, square 83), but surely there were more under- ground connections? Our ‘notables list’ features one Paul Chappuis, who patented different types of reflector to allow natural light into buildings that would otherwise require gaslight during daytime. Study of the cemetery plan showed that his grave lay on Sopwith Path, almost opposite that of the surveyor, mining engineer and geologist Thomas Sopwith FRS (1803–1879) himself (grave 17,339, square 91). However, when I first went in search of a monument all I could see was a ‘wall of ivy’. Nevertheless, armed with gloves and secateurs, some 30 minutes work revealed his monument exactly where the map said it should be! Paul Emile Chappuis was born in Paris in 1816. A noted children’s photographer and toy manu- facturer, he ran a photographic studio at 69 Monument to Paul Chappuis at Fleet Street, London, 1859–1871. He set up a Norwood (grave 11,338, square 91) company to manufacture reflectors in 1856 on the basis of his 1853 and 1855 patents for different types of reflector: myriastratic or diamond-shaped, silver fluted glass, argento-crystal, and luminarium. He was declared bankrupt in August 1859, and briefly imprisoned for debt. However, he was discharged in December 1859. J.T. Pickmann, manufacturer of stereos, looked after the shop during Chappuis’ enforced absence.

- 11 - Chappuis patented a design for a whist marker in 1865. He published ‘photographic scraps’, 1868. His business recovered, and was reformed as Chappuis Ltd in 1868. He had a private studio near Tulse Hill in the 1860s; appointments were booked via Barker, bookseller, of Lower Norwood. In 1881 Chappuis was living at York House, Brixton. He died at 42 Endymion Road, Brixton Hill, on 20 May 1887 and was buried at Norwood on 26 May, age 71. His estate was valued at £5,348. His firm continued after his death as reflector manufacturers at Byron House 85 Fleet Street, 1887–1902; at 82–87 Fleet Street, 1902–1914; and at 24 Stamford Street, Blackfriars until bombed out in 1943. There is a modern twist. Also known as a ‘tubular skylight’, ‘SunScope’ or ‘Tubular Daylighting Device’, the concept embodied in Chappuis’ patents was rediscovered and patented in 1986 by Solatube International of Australia. This system has been marketed for widespread residential and commercial use. Other day-lighting products are now marketed under names, such as ‘SunScope’, ‘solar pipe’, ‘light pipe’, ‘light tube’, and ‘tubular skylight’. Nothing new under the sun one could say…

Music at the Crystal Palace: The story of Sir August Manns by Leon Conrad Review – John White

On Saturday 9 October last year, four performers in period dress gave a biographical and musical account of the life of the conductor and composer August Manns in the fine interior of St Bartholomew’s Church, Westwood Hill, Sydenham. Manns died on 1 March 1907 and is buried at Norwood (grave 31,828, square 81). He features in ’s Musicians by Bob Flanagan (FOWNC, 1998) and also has a short biography in the FOWNC Introductory Guide (2007). Leon Conrad, who devised, wrote and directed this imaginative presentation, played the role of Manns whilst Maureen Lyle played the part of his sister. Greg Tassell (tenor) and Gary Branch (piano) sang and played, respectively. The concept of combining music and biography in a dramatic presentation was excellent. The performance was most enjoyable, as evidenced by the enthusiastic applause at the end, and very informative. August Friederich Manns was born in Prussia in 1825, he worked in military and pleasure garden bands before coming to England. He was appointed assistant conductor and clarinetist in the newly formed Crystal Palace Band at Sydenham in 1854. Although he soon left, following a dispute, he returned not long afterwards as conductor (effectively Director of Music) when offered the appointment by George Grove, secretary to the Crystal Palace Company. With Grove’s encouragement and guidance, Manns did much to raise the technical standard of the orchestra and became very influential in the world of music in England, organising both the daily and Saturday concerts and the three-yearly Handel Festivals. Grove published detailed notes of each work performed. At the time there were few centres for the public performance of classical music in London, and patrons would think nothing of traveling to Sydenham (there were then two railway stations of course) to attend a concert. - 12 - The music performed in October included Brahms, Dvorak, Elgar, German, Handel, Schubert, Somervell, and Sullivan. These were all composers whose works were either promoted by Manns, or performed at the Crystal Palace. Excerpts from two of Manns’ own works (The Alliance Redowa and Marien Redowa) were also performed. Most items were songs interspersed with some piano solos. The audience was invited to participate in singing Onward Christian Soldiers, music by Arthur Sullivan. The venue for the concert was ideal. The church was constructed between 1827 and 1832, and was restored in 1874. The performers, and grand piano, were positioned in front of the sanctuary close to the front pews and the setting (with the performers in original costume) was perfect for this celebration of the life of Manns, who was knighted in 1903. In a dramatic twist near the end of the Moonshine, 14 July 1888, p. 13 evening, Manns left the ‘stage’ (actually the front of the altar) with his sister, explaining that he was overcome as a particular item reminded him of his first wife. This device enabled the tenor and pianist to conclude the performance by bringing the story forward to Mann’s death and to describe his important contribution to music in England in the second half of the nineteenth century. Recent FOWNC Events Jill Dudman

On 19 February we welcomed Dr Ruth Richardson, who spoke about her book The Making of Mr. Gray’s Anatomy. She examined the contrasting characters of its author (Henry Gray, 1827–61) and its illustrator (Henry Vandyke Carter, 1831–97), and their relationship to Professor Henry Minchin Noad FRS (1815–77). Gray, who is buried in Highgate Cemetery, seems to have been a very single-minded individual, sometimes to the extent of not properly crediting the contributions of others. As an example, Ruth quoted an essay by Gray for which Noad had provided experimental data, but whom Gray failed to acknowledge until the work was published. Noad, who is buried at Norwood (grave 16,626, square 21), taught for many years at St George’s Hospital Medical School, Hyde Park Corner, where the work for the textbook was done. Another

- 13 - Norwood connection also emerged during the talk: the publisher of Gray’s Anatomy, John Parker, was married to Ellen Mantell, illustrator and daughter of palaeontologist Gideon Mantell (1790–1852; grave 273, square 100). Fifteen years have elapsed since Bob Flanagan published his book (available from FOWNC, price £2.50) on the sportsmen buried or cremated at Norwood. Whereas most of the personalities featured by Bob were from the , Colin Fenn has discovered much more about champions of the Edwardian and inter-war periods, and he presented a selection of them on 19 March. They include Harry Green, world record marathon runner; Charles Percy Dixon, George Caridia and Theodore Mavrogordato, champion tennis players; and Lady Domini Crosfield, tennis super-socialite. Between them they won six Olympic medals and had influence that went way beyond the sports arena; Lady Crosfield, for example, regularly hosted tennis parties at her large house in Highgate attended by leading politicians and royalty. C.P. Dixon (1873–1939) was very successful at Wimbledon, in the Davis Lady Domini Crosfield née Elliadi Cup, and in the Olympics. Some connections are (-1963) very local: Harry Green (1886–1934), in retirement, ran a newsagent’s shop including a library service at the foot of Wolfington Road off Knights Hill. Forthcoming FOWNC Events May–August 2011

General tours: first Sunday of each month (1 May, 5 June, 3 July, 7 August), starting at the cemetery main gate off Norwood Road at 14.30, and lasting for about 2 hours. We welcome donations of £1 per person (£0.50 concessions) towards conservation projects. Saturday 28 May, 14.30–16.30. Special Event: Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries This is a special guided walk for FOWNC members offered as a result of the successful NFCF AGM we held last year. Meet at entrance to Brockley Cemetery, Brockley Road, SE4 (junction with Ivy Road). Entrance for cars: Ladywell Cemetery, Brockley Grove, SE4 (park in Brockley Cemetery). Rail: Crofton Park (5 min walk). Bus: 122, 171, 172. Organised by the newly- formed Friends of Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries (www.foblc.org.uk).

- 14 - Saturday 11 June, 10.30–16.00: West Norwood Cemetery Open Day Guided tours will start at the cemetery main gate, and the FOWNC bookstall will be present. Other cemetery attractions are being arranged. Roy Vickery (South London Bot- anical Institute) will lead a botanical tour of the cemetery (14.30–16.00) and we will run general tours depending on demand. This year the Open Day coincides with the annual London Parks & Gardens Trust event. Visit www.opensquares.org for more information. Saturday 23 July, 11.00–17.00: Ride and Stride for London Churches This is a new event organized by the Heritage of London Trust (HoLT) that aims to raise the profile of historic churches and cemeteries in London. The focus will be on Westminster, Harrow, South East London, and Tower Hamlets and Hackney. Friends can participate and raise money via sponsorship. Full details and forms at: www.heritageoflondon.com. It is hoped that St Luke’s Church will join with us in welcoming visitors, whether they arrive by foot, bike, or public transport! The FOWNC Bookstall will be present and we will offer short tours of the Greek Cemetery. Advance notice: Sunday 18 September: Open House London Weekend FOWNC will be opening the Greek Chapel and running tours (Sunday only). Visit www.openhouselondon.org.uk or look for the booklet in libraries for details of many places of architectural interest to see for free in London during the weekend. Other Forthcoming Events Saturday 21 May, 11.00–17.00: Nunhead Cemetery Open Day Linden Grove, SE15. Displays, guided tours, refreshments (Friends of Nunhead Cemetery, www.fonc.org.uk). Saturday 18 June, 11.00 and 14.00: Tours of Beckenham Cemetery, John Hickman Meet inside rear gate, nr Harrington Road tram stop, SE25. Formerly known as Crystal Palace Cemetery, notable burials include cricketer W.G. Grace, sanitation pioneer Thomas Crapper, motor car designer Frederick Wolseley, the ‘Diver who saved Winchester Cathedral’ William Walker, and engineer and technical school founder William Stanley. Sunday 17 July, 10.30–16.00: Lambeth Cemetery Open Day Blackshaw Road, SW17. Charity fete, funeral exhibition, refreshments… Sunday 17 July, 11.00–17.00: Brompton Cemetery Open Day

Fulham Road, SW10. Displays, guided tours of the cemetery and catacombs, refreshments, etc. (Friends of Grave of W.G. Grace, Beckenham Cemetery Brompton Cemetery, www.brompton-cemetery.org).

- 15 -

A Bit of Mystery – Bob Flanagan

Grane family vault (grave 4,894, square 34). The surviving inscription records the burial of Elizabeth Jane Grane (d. 18 August 1905, aged 80). Other burials therein are: Nathaniel and William Grane (1856), Isabel Anna Gar- wick (1870), William James Grane (1892), and Harriette Jane Grane (1893). A Faculty to restore this Grade 2 listed memorial was granted by the Consistory Court in 1994, Lambeth having all but demolished it during clearance works. The listing description, which refers to ‘William Crane’, details ‘a stone slab with pink granite cross having foliated arms and continuous vine trails to the stem. Bronze inscription tablet in classical trajanic lettering’. If only we had a photograph…

FOWNC Officers Chairman & Publications Officer: Bob Flanagan, 79 Durban Road, London SE27 9RW (Tel: 020 8670 3265) Vice-Chairman: Colin Fenn, 20 Selsdon Road, London SE27 0PG (Tel: 020 8670 4146) Secretary & Tours Organiser: Jill Dudman, 119 Broxholm Road, London SE27 0BJ (Tel: 020 8670 5456) Hon Treasurer: Anna Long, 58 Crescent Lane, London SW4 9PU (Tel: 020 7622 7420) Publicity Officer: Paul Graham, Flat 4, 9 St Andrews Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 4DT (Tel: 020 8287 6976) Webmaster: James Slattery-Kavanagh, Quotes, 3 Cricketfield, Newick, East Sussex BN8 4LL (Tel: 0871 703 2210, Fax: 0871 703 2220) ______© FOWNC May 2011 The FOWNC Newsletter is published three times a year by The Friends of West Norwood Cemetery, 79 Durban Road, London SE27 9RW Website: www.fownc.org; e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected] If you would like further information about the Friends, please contact the Secretary. The annual subscription is £3. Registered Charity No 1063450. Member of the National Federation of Cemetery Friends (NFCF, www.cemeteryfriends.org.uk) and of the Association of Significant Cemeteries of Europe (ASCE, www.significantcemeteries.net)

- 16 -